Smartphone dependence check

The SAS-SV (Smartphone Addiction Scale–Short Version, Kwon et al.) is one of the most-used phone-dependence screeners. Its cutoff differs by sex, so the first question asks your sex — the answer is only used for scoring and is never uploaded.

The SAS-SV was published by Kwon's team in PLOS ONE in 2013 — a 10-item short form distilled from the original 33-item scale. Items cover functional impairment, physical discomfort, tolerance, withdrawal-like restlessness, compulsive checking and others' observations.

Ten items sum to 10-60. The original study's cutoffs were ≥31 for men and ≥33 for women, derived from a Korean adolescent sample — treat them as reference points, not absolutes.

A high score usually isn't about weak willpower — these apps are engineered to capture attention. Awareness is what enables adjustment.

Source: Smartphone Addiction Scale–Short Version (Kwon et al., 2013, PLOS ONE) · The scale was published open-access with the items publicly available; Chinese items follow common wording used in Chinese validation studies. · Original source

How much do the following statements apply to you?

1. Your sex? (the scoring cutoff is sex-specific)
2. I miss planned work due to smartphone use
3. I have a hard time concentrating in class, while doing assignments, or while working due to smartphone use
4. I feel pain in my wrists or at the back of my neck while using a smartphone
5. I won't be able to stand not having a smartphone
6. I feel impatient and fretful when I am not holding my smartphone
7. I have my smartphone on my mind even when I am not using it
8. I will never give up using my smartphone even when my daily life is already greatly affected by it
9. I constantly check my smartphone so as not to miss conversations between other people on Twitter or Facebook
10. I use my smartphone longer than I had intended
11. The people around me tell me that I use my smartphone too much